GSC Game World's new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. title, Clear Sky, will be released exclusively via later in 2008, according to word in today from Software. Although Steam will be the game's only distribution partner, a boxed copy is still in the pipeline, although the developer have yet to confirm a publishing partner to help make this a reality.

Marketing, as well as technology, appears to have encouraged GSC to side with Steam, boss Sergiy Grygorovych stating that they "chose to deliver the digital version of the game exclusively on Steam because of its proven success not only as the leading global digital distribution platform for games, but because it allows us to directly reach its integrated and active community of gamers".

For their part, Valve are of course full of praise for the new partner, noting GSC's "forward-thinking" approach. Clear Sky is the sequel to the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, which didn't really sell in quite the quantities it deserved to despite being really rather good.

We'll bring you more on this soon.

By Luke Guttridge